Chair and table adjusting mechanism



June 1 1926. 1,586,752

F. KOENIGKRAMER CHAIR AND TABLE ADJUSTING MECHANISM Filed August 15, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 June l 26.

F. KQENJGKRAMER` GHAIR AND TABLE ADJUSTING MEGHANl-SM Filed ugugt 15; 1921 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented .lune l, 1926i.

pair y STATS g'lwil CI-IAR AND TABLE ADJUSTNG MECI'IANISM.

Application filed August 15, 1921.

My invention relates to improvements in mechanism to support and raise and lower chairs and tables, as for instance dental, barber, and similar chairs, and surgical, chiropractic, and similar tables. One of it-s objects is to provide a simple and reliable motor actuated supporting and adjust-ing mechanism adapted to be employed for long` periods of time without getting out of order 1o or requiring repairs. Another object is to provide an improved motor driven supporting and adjusting means with provision to rigidly mechanically lock the adjustable portion in any adjusted position. Another object is to provide an improved motor driven mechanically actuated adjusting mechanism. Another object is to provide-an improved motor driven adj Listing mechanism in which the adjustable member is both vertically and rotatably adjustable and also adapted to be rigidly locked to any desired position of adj ustment. My invention also comprises certain details of form, combination and arrangement, all of which will be fully set forth in the description of the accompanying drawings, in which;

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section through a cha-ir adjusting mechanism embodying my invention.

llig. 2, is a side elevation of a portion of Figure 1.

Fig. 3, is-a horizontal section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. l is a view similar to Fig. l, illustrating a modification of Fig. 1, in which the chair is both rotatably and vertically adjust-- able.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6, is a perspective View of an adjusting collar detached.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred embodiment of my invention, in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, of which lll represents a chair or table base adapted to be rigidly mounted or supported upon the Hoor. The base 14C is provided with a vertical cylindrical recess 15 to receive a vertically movable standard or member 16 to the upper end of which the chair or table top 17 is attached. The standard 16 is preferably hollonT to constitute a storage reservoir 18 for the storage of lubricant material to keep the operative parts constantly and automatically lubricated. rlhe exterior of the standard 1G close- Serial No. 492,463.

ly tits and is guided in its movements up and down, and laterally supported by the side walls of the recess 15 in the base. A key 19 terminating at its upper end at 20 is seated in a vertical channel 21 in the wall of the recess 15, and projects into said recess so as to engage a vertical slot 22 in the periphery of the standard 16, to prevent the standard 16 moving rotatably relative to the base 14.

rlhe periphery of the standard 16 has cut therein a coarse pitch thread or spiral groove 24 by means of which the standard 16 is threaded into an annular driving member 25 which is seated upon theupper edge of the base, encircling the mouth of the recess 15 so to be rotatably movable relative to the base le and standard 16. rlhe annular member 25 has a worm wheel 26 cut upon its exterior, and is held in position and against displacement upon the upper edge of the base la by means of an annular cap member 27 which is threaded or otherwise rigidly attached to the base member, and serves as a bearing for the upper edge of the annular member 25 to prevent its displacement relative to the base 14.

A worm 29 meshes with the worm-wheel 26 to rotatably drive the annular member 25 in either direction. The worm 29 is journaled at opposite ends in bearings 30 and 31 formed in the walls of the cap member 27, and is held in place by a threaded cap 32 which serves as a thrust bearing for the worm 29, and also to loclr the worm in position when the cap is in place and to permit the worm to be removed when the cap is removed. rlhe opposite end of the worm 29 projects outside of the cap member 27 and is provided with polygonal socket 33 into which the polygonal end of a motor shaft 3l is adapted to enter to thereby drive the worm and worm wheel. l preferably employ an electric mot-or 35 which is attached to a bracket 36 projecting from the cap member 27, and said motor is provided with either hand operated or foot operated switch mechanism adapted to cause the motor to rotate in either forward or reverse direction, and to thereby drive the worm and worm-wheel and the annular member 25 in either direc tion as may be required to feed the standard 16 either upwardly or downwardly due to the threaded engagement of the member 25 with the standard 16, tc thereby raise or lower the chair or table.

In order to provide Jfor automatieallj.' lubricating the operative parts comprising the worm, worm-wheel, member and standard 1G, I preferably provide a port' or recess leading from the interior of the standard 16 into the recess 15 below the standard. and provide within the rese-1s and reservoir 19 a body or column et liquid lubricating material ot suticient height to automaticallj feed lubri lant to the bearing surfaces of the annular member Q5 and the worm 2S) as well as to the. standard 1G, and recess 15 where they have bearing or sliding relations. Suitable oil holes and channels are brovided, not shown specifically to lead the lubricant to any moving part requiring to be lubricated. As shown in 1 the port y-10 leads through an adjustable member l1 threaded into a recess in the bottom wall ot the standard 1G, and locked to its adjusted position by means ot' a loclt nut U12, which provides for so adjusting the lock nut l2 and member L11 as to partly or almost entirely close the port 40 and thereby to more or less obstruct the tlow ot' liquid through the port- 40, which may be utilized to torce the lubricant from the recess 15 upwardly into the bearing requiring lubrication. It may also he utilized to check too rapid movement ot the standard lll either upwardly or downwardly, due to the liquid being unable to pass through the restricted port l0 at a high rate ot speed necessary to transfer the requisite volume of liquid.

A set screw is threaded through a projection f1.6 carried by the cap member 27. and its end engages a brake-shoe el? which bears upon the periphery or" the standard 16 above the cap member 2T to rigidly lock the standard against movement when desired.

As illustrated in Fig. Q a switch mechanism 49 is adapted to start, stop, and reverse the direction of the motor 85. said switch mechanism being designed to be actuated by the foot ot the operator, as is customary in operating dental chairs for instance. Thus for instance the operator to elevate the chair and its standard depresses the push-rod 50 with his toot. which closes the motor circuit so as to drive the motor in the direction necessary to elevate the chair. lllhen the foot is removed from t-he push-rod 50 the motor circuit is automaticalli.v opened. Then the push-rod 51 (lepre. ed by the toot of the operator the motor circuit is closed to drive the motor i-n the direction to lower the chair, and when the foot is removed from push-rod 51 the motor circuit is automaticallyv opened. In Fig. 3 I have illustrated a plurality ot' hand actuated switch levers 52 and 53, by means ot which the motor circuit may be opened and closed by hand, substantially as heretofore described to elevate or lower the chair. It is customary for barber chairs to be raised and lowered by some type of hand actuated mechanism as distinguished trom toot actuated means.

Iin the moditication Figs. 'l. 5, and (E. I have illustrated means to enable the standard 1G to be rotatably adjusted relative to the base 1l as well as to be adjusted vertically relative thereto heretofore described. In order to rotatably adjust the standard and the chair or table member carried thereby an annular member or collar 5-1- splined to the standard by means of av ltey and said collr is located above, and preferably resting upon the upper tace ot` the cap member 2T. A series ot recesses 5G are formed at frequent intervals in the periphery ot' said collar 5l, which recesses are to be selectively engaged by the end ot a set screw 5T which is threaded through a projection 5S extending upwardly from the cap member 2T. The set screw 5i is operated by a hand lever 59 t0 'torce the collar. acting' as a brake-shoe against the periphery ot the standard 1G to rigidly lock the standard against movement relative to the base 14.

lllhen the set-screw 5T is retracted to clear the recess 56 the chair and standard 1U may be freely rotated relative to the base 11, carrying the collar 511 with them. lVhen the chair standard 1U and collar 5l have reached the desired new position rotatably, the setscrew 5.7 is adjusted into loose engagement with another recess 5G of the c liar, which will serve to prevent further rotary movement ot the chair and standard7 but leave the standard 'free to be elevated or lowered relative to the base by means ot the motor 235, the worm 29, and annular member 25, after which the set screw 57 may be tightened to rigidly lock the parts together and take up all lost motion it desired. A light sheet metal housing GO is preferably employed over the collar to add to the appearance ot' the chair and to protect the parts from dirt and dust, or the garments of the operator becoming caught in the operative paris.

Where it is inconvenient to supply or provide motors. the motor may be replaced by a hand crank or other lmown type ot manually operable means to drive the worm or equivalent gear in either lorward or reverse direc ion.

The apparatus herein illustrated and described is capable of considerable ineditication without departing from the spirit of my invention.

lllhat I claim is:

1. A supporting` mechanism con'iprising a base having a vertical cylindrical recess to serve a lateral support tor a supporting standard, an externally screw-threaded cvlindrical supporting` standard telescopically mounted in said recess in the base and provided with a vertical lteyway, an annular driving member threaded to said standard ETS and journaled to said base at the upper end of said vertical recess, means to rotate said annular driving member relative to said base to feed said standard vertically relative to said base, an annular collar keyed to and rotatable with said standard relative to said base, and means to detachably rigidly lock said annular collar to said base.

2. A supporting mechanism comprising a base having a vertical cylindrical recess te serve as a lateral support for a supporting standard, an externally screw-threaded cylindrical supporting standard telescopically mounted in said recess in the base and provided With a vertical lieyivay, an annular driving member threaded to said standard and journaled to said base at the upper end of said vertical recess, means to rotate said annular driving member relative to said base, an annular collar keyed to and rotatable with said standard relative to said base, and means to selectively detachably rigidly loclt said annular collar in a plurality of different positions relative to said base to face said .standard in a plurality of different positions rotatively relative to said base.

3. A supporting mechanism comprising a base having a vertical recess closed at the lower end to serve as a lubricant container and as a lateral support 'for a vertically adj ustable supporting standard, a supporting standard teleseopically mounted in said recess in the base, an annular driving member journaled to said base and threaded to said standard, gear mechanism to engage and drive said annular driving member in either direction, and means having splined relation to said standard and rotatably adjustable relative to said base and adapted to be adjusted rotatably to diiierent positions upon said base carrying said standard therewith and to be rigidly locked to different adjusted positions relative to said base to adjustably face said standard in different positions relative to said base.

4. A supporting mechanism comprising a base having a vertical recess to serve as a lateral support for a vertically adjustable supporting standard, a supporting standard telescopically mounted in said recess m the f1 base, an annular driving member journaled to said base at the upper end of said recess and threaded to said standard, gear mechanisin to engage and drive said annular driving` member in either direction, and means having splined relation to said standard to hold said standard non-iotatably relative to said base, and rotatably adjustable relative to said base and adapted to be rotatably adjusted to different positions relative to said base carrying said standard. therewith and to be rigidly locked at relatively di'llcrent positions to said base to adjust-ably face said standard in diierent positions relative to said base.

In testimony whereof I have atlixed my signature.

FRANK KOENIGKRAMER. 

